Lawyer: Ex-alderman never intended to bribe anyone
A former Chicago alderman’s attorney has told jurors at a federal bribery trial in Chicago that his client never intended to bribe anyone.
Ambrosio Medrano and two businessmen are accused of paying bribe money to an undercover agent posing as a sale representative.
The agent allegedly told the men he’d pass the money to a Los Angeles official who would supposedly take steps to ensure the men landed a lucrative pharmaceutical contract.
But it was all part of an FBI sting and the official didn’t actually exist.
During his opening Tuesday, defense attorney Gal Pissetzky said Medrano never believed the official existed and never thought money paid to the agent was bribe money.
Medrano spent nearly two years in prison after pleading guilty in 1996 to a payoff scheme.